


If Wishes Were Ki

by The_Dragon_Em



Series: One Big Saiyan Family [11]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Gohan's Anger Issues, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Hair Braiding, Long Hair, Multi, Parenthood, Polyamory, Protective Parents, Saiyan Culture, Saiyans, Tails, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:38:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16412915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Dragon_Em/pseuds/The_Dragon_Em
Summary: Then everyone would be able to fly.Four months after Celebration in Chains, Vegeta and Goku make some impulsive wishes.





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Raditz](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/426905) by manokmetz. 



> I get random. I can admit that. Just enjoy the ride and look forward to all the many many possibilities.

The last two full Saiyans sat in a bed of leaves, the seven brilliantly orange orbs of the dragon balls piled between them. They hadn't consulted anyone else about this, but neither one of them was very good at asking for permission or even input. They'd cooked this up between them, and of course, they were going to go through with it. They looked at each other across the collected spheres, and then Vegeta spoke. "Eternal Shenron! By your name, I summon you forth!"

The dragon balls shone, glowing from deep within and shooting a beam of light up into the sky. The light formed itself into a giant dragon, long and green with a fierce red-eyed face. The eternal dragon was there. "I am Shenron. I will grant you any wish. So speak!"

"We wish that all those of Saiyan blood who have lost their tails have them restored," Goku said, reciting the wording that they'd agreed on.

"Done. Your first wish is fulfilled." While Vegeta just closed his eyes for a moment, but Goku squeaked and twisted around to look behind him at the tail that had shoved out from a new tear in his gi pants. Oooh, yes, this had been a good idea. "What is your next wish?"

This time Vegeta spoke. "We wish for our families to be revived and brought to us here, confining that to parents and siblings." He didn't need fifteen generations nattering at him.

"Done." The dragon was gone and the dragon balls scattered. Five Saiyans materialized before them, and the pair of wishers stared. Goku even went down the line, counting silently but with his mouth moving; this was actually more than they'd expected.

It was Vegeta that broke the silence. "Tarble. We weren't expecting you; were you dead?"

"Uh. No." The tiny Saiyan shrugged.

"We'll have to get you back home to your wife -"

"No, that didn't work out. Being here could be nice."

"Hn." Well then, five new Saiyans would be moving into Capsule Corp. It was odd seeing them all so  _young_ ... they'd all died so young that he was older than all their parents. Kakarot was even older than his big brother!

Goku was more openly excited than his lover. "You didn't tell me that your dad has brown hair," he said to Vegeta in a loud whisper, "and he's tall! What happened?"

"Our carrier was rather - well, he was built a lot like Tarble," Vegeta said with a tinge of embarrassment.

"Ooooh. And Raditz, I hope we really get to know each other this time!" He clapped his hand on the tall Saiyan's shoulder before turning to the last two new arrivals. "Which means that you two must be our parents!"

"Bardock," the gruff answer came; he looked a  _lot_ like Goku, although darker with a prominent x-shaped scar on his face. "This is your mother, Gine. It's good to see that you've grown up well, Kakarot."

Goku wrinkled his nose. "Goku, please. I've been Son Goku forever."

"Kakarot," Vegeta said lazily, "are you actually going to ask your parents and your brother to call you by your Earth name?"

"It sounds weird when anyone but you calls me that," Goku whined, and Vegeta chuckled, his gaze warm on his lover's face.

"I'm not going to argue with you if you only want to allow me to use your birth name, but you should perhaps consider allowing at least your parents to call you by the name they gave you."

Goku hesitated, then nodded. "I'll think about it."

Gine stepped closer; she only came up to about Goku's chin and made no effort to crowd the warriors. "Whatever you go by, I'm glad to see you again my little one." She patted him on the cheek, which made both Raditz and Bardock look suddenly defensive and embarrassed.

"Thanks, Mom." He leaned forward to hug her briefly, much to her delight, then settled back in next to Vegeta. 

Goku had skipped the undershirt of his gi, which was open enough to expose his tattoo especially when he had leaned over. It was inevitable that the King would notice the mark and know what it meant, especially on top of his son's behavior. "Son," he said slowly, "did you  _permanently claim_ a third class warrior?"

"I did." There wasn't the slightest hint of shame in Vegeta's voice; no, he exuded pure pride. He reached up over his shoulder to caress Goku's jawline and cheek, casually affectionate and letting the effect his touch had on the younger Saiyan be seen. Goku may be larger and stronger, but he might as well be a contented cat with the way he leaned into Vegeta's touch. The prince had no idea if a human would see it, but to a Saiyan everything down to how his mate was holding his tail screamed that he was submissive to his Prince. "He has a great many highly desirable qualities and is the strongest warrior in the universe as well." His hand tightened on the other Saiyan's jaw. "Kakarot is mine."

Tarble was (probably wisely) hanging out at the edge and giving minimal input. King Vegeta looked absolutely stunned, Raditz looked shocked, and Bardock and Gine were displaying varying levels of concern. No one could seem to find a response until the King finally managed to lock in on a single thought among those whirling in his head. "Are you  _sure_ he's stronger than you?"

Goku laughed, an arm snaking around Vegeta's back as the Prince continued subtly petting him. "He's gotten a little closer 'cause he wouldn't let me train while I was pregnant, but yeah, I'm still stronger." He leaned in to nuzzle his face into Vegeta's hair, enjoying the other's presence for a moment. "He's the only one that can challenge me, and I give him a reason to keep getting stronger."

"Tch. You could sound a  _little_  more humble."

Goku laughed again, completely content to be receiving the Prince's affections.

"Pregnant?" It was Gine again. "We have a grandchild?"

"Four," Goku answered with his eyes half-closed. "Two with m' wife, an' two with Vegeta. Plus my oldest has a girl, so you've got a great-granddaughter, too."

"You  _share_ him with another?" That was the King again.

"He had a wife and child before I knew he existed," Vegeta answered, his eye roll audible. "Plus, I don't share him in the way you mean. He and his wife have a purely emotional arrangement."

"Purely emotional -"

"We love each other, but we don' have sex," Goku supplied before the King could sputter too much. "Never did enjoy it with her, but we wanted kids so we managed it a few times. The whole setup is a lil bit complicated, but we're all pretty happy."

" _All?_ "

"Vegeta has a wife, too! They have three - two? - Vegeta how do we count 'em?"

Vegeta sighed. "Three. Three children."

The brunette Saiyan looked back and forth between his son and the boy he vaguely remembered as having been born with a power level of two, wondering if this was some sort of weird torture in hell. "And you two are the strongest _anywhere_?"

It was best if he left no room for anyone to doubt their power. Vegeta had no intention of demanding his father's title (even though he  _could_ ), but he was still the one to keep in mind if misbehaving crossed your thoughts.

"Kakarot." The word was a command and demanded no further explanation. In concert, the Prince and his mate rose their power, spiraling upwards to their maximum. You could neither sense divine ki nor read it with a scouter; the only way to quantify it was to have godly energy as well. Still, as the pair stood there with flames of light blue hair, Goku still standing just behind Vegeta's right shoulder, that didn't stop the sheer pressure of their weighty energy from informing those that stood before them that they were something beyond what the legends of Vegetasai ever dreamed of.

Bardock adjusted his scouter casually, then chuckled to himself. "Can't read a blasted thing, but I'd bet you could level the planet with a sneeze." The paternal pride in his voice was anything but subtle.

"We surpassed Super Saiyan ages ago," Goku chirped. "There was Two, and Three, and Red, and this one we've been calling Super Saiyan Blue."

" _Kakarot_ ," Vegeta growled through gritted teeth. Goku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, but shut up. The prince released blue, followed immediately by Goku. "Any other questions, Father?"

 The King had been effectively shut up.

"All right, come along. There's the rest of the family for you to meet."

"Only most of them," Goku chimed in. "We'll have to invite over Gohan and his family soon so you can meet your great granddaughter!"

 Vegeta rolled his eyes but led everyone towards Capsule Corp without another word.

* * *

Bulma and Chi-Chi had been sitting together chatting over coffee, and the way that their eyebrows rose in unison was a little scary. Goku laughed and rubbed the back of his head, his tail twisting nervously. "So, Vegeta and I used the dragon balls ..."

"We noticed," Bulma said dryly.

"Anyway, you know Raditz and Tarble, and these are my parents Bardock and Gine, and that guy's the King. Everyone, this is my wife Chi-Chi and Vegeta's wife Bulma."

"Are you just tossing around the protection of our house symbol like some worthless trinket?" King Vegeta's eyes were locked on the necklace circling Bulma's neck.

"Hardly," Vegeta said dryly. "My wife has long ago earned acknowledgment of her place at my side. She is more than worthy to wear the crest of House Vegeta."

Everyone else was taking things much more in stride, even the pair of judgemental human women watching them from the couch. It was just the King that was balking at every turn. "So," Goku butted in, "Chi-Chi and I have Gohan and Goten together. Gohan lives with his wife and daughter, and Goten is, uh, probably with Trunks. Then Vegeta has Mirai, Trunks, and Bra with Bulma, except not exactly because Mirai is Trunks from an alternative future timeline? And Vegeta and I have Vegeta III and Eschalot together. Bra and Vege are two, and Eschalot is six months old. Dinner's soon, and that might be the easiest way to get them all together? Oh and Chi we need to have Gohan over soon! Though I doubt he's gonna let you hold Pan, sorry Raditz."

"Why wouldn't he let his uncle hold - is Pan his daughter?" Gine was obviously curious, but also had that waiting dangerous look that Bulma and Chi-Chi sometimes got when they were deciding how much they needed to lay into their husbands or children.

"Ah hah, well Raditz sort of kidnapped Gohan when he was four. Then Piccolo kidnapped him right after that, but Piccolo's his best friend and teacher now. I'm sure he and Raditz will patch things up in no time."

"And you  _let_ your son be kidnapped twice?" Now she was trying to decide which of her sons to be mad at.

"Hey, this was back when Raditz could still kick my ass, and we managed to rescue Gohan from him! Except I had to hold him still so Piccolo could hit him, so I died right along with Raditz and Piccolo took off with Gohan to train him. I couldn't exactly rescue Gohan while I was dead, I was busy on Snake Way and then King Kai's planet. And Piccolo did a great job training Gohan even if he did kidnap him first."

Gine's left eye was twitching. Ignoring both her sons, she turned to Chi-Chi. "How long have you been putting up with him?"

"Twenty-seven years, minus the parts where he was dead." She smiled at Gine, seeing something of a kindred soul in her mother-in-law. "As hard as it is to admit, Piccolo did turn out to be a good influence on Gohan." She shook her head, not wanting to go into the details of their close relationship - maybe closer than Gohan and Videl, though things were definitely platonic between her son and the Namekian - or the times when she'd wondered if Piccolo was a better father for Gohan than Goku. "He died for my boy when Nappa and Vegeta got here."

They fell quiet for a moment; the whole thing was a little awkward. They had a lot of catching up and settling in to do, from the parents who had died right around the time of Goku's birth, to Raditz who had actually been killed by Goku and Piccolo, to Tarble who's marriage hadn't worked out and who was around his own kind for the first time.

Bulma broke the silence, the short dress that hugged her curves matching the sapphires at her throat as she stood. "Why don't I get you all settled in. We should be needing four rooms, right?" She started down the hall, simply assuming the Saiyans would follow. Raditz was the first to jump in line, followed by Tarble and Goku's parents; King Vegeta lagged behind before finally reluctantly following his son's wife deeper into the complex. She'd no doubt get them settled in as efficiently as she had Mirai when he arrived.

For another moment it was quiet, then Chi-Chi spoke up. "Goku, dear, you two really should have talked to us before doing something like this." She paused. "Did you wish your tails back, too?"

"Yeah!" Goku turned around so that his wife could check out his tail. "We figured since there's no moon anyway, we might as well have 'em back. And Vegeta said they're important for communication and nonverbal cues?" He shrugged. "I kinda missed it."

Chi-Chi sighed but was prevented from further needling when her phone rang. "Hello? ... Oh, Gohan. ... Mhmm, yes, Vegeta and your father wished them back. ... Yes, I agree they should have talked to everyone first. ... No, there's more than just the tails. ... It would be better if you saw, really. Family dinner tomorrow night? ... Yes, of course, the regular time. I look forward to seeing all of you. ... You can't blame me for that, I'm her grandmother. ... I know, dear. How's Videl doing? ... That's good to hear. She's such a strong girl. ... That's right dear, I'll see you and your girls tomorrow. ... Good-bye, then. ... Good-bye."

Hanging up the phone, Chi-Chi smiled as she put her away. "Gohan and Videl are bringing Pan over for dinner tomorrow night. I do hope it goes well."

* * *

With the Saiyans all settled in (and an unnecessary amount of time spent on King Vegeta) Bulma headed back out to the living room while Bardock and Gine briefly squeezed hands affectionately before heading in separate directions. While Bardock marched off like he was on the warpath, Gine followed her nose until she found what she was looking for ... a room housing two young Saiyans - or, halfbreeds she supposed.

She knocked instead of trying the handle and waited for one of the boys - a lean child with longish lavender hair and no shirt - to answer the door. "What do you want?

The rudeness was ignored, and the little Saiyan woman smiled at the boy. "I'm Goten's grandmother, Gine? I wanted to say hello to him." And see why the automatic assumption in this house was that Goten and Trunks were together. There was a faint hint of sex hanging in the air, nothing  _extremely_ fresh but definitely constantly refreshed. That didn't mean anything though; they might just have an arrangement based on availability.

The rude boy hesitated, then opened the door the rest of the way and jerked his head for her to come in. "Ten, I think I know why the sky was black a bit ago."

"Did she say grandma?" a muffled voice asked; the other boy was pulling on his shirt and the head that popped out was the spitting image of both Bardock and Kakarot. His eyes locked on the female Saiyan. "Hi, uh, sorry this is a bit awkward. I'm Goten."

Gine took it in stride. "Your father and his lover wished for us to join them here - that's myself and your Grandpa Bardock, the King, and Raditz and Tarble. It's one big family reunion, except no one bothered to tell anyone else we were coming." She picked her way between the boys to take a seat in the desk chair. "I'm Gine if you didn't catch that. I was wondering how serious you two are." Her eyes flicked from Goten's innocent face to Trunks's more severe demeanor.

Trunks was the one to answer, giving a put-upon sigh. "Why does everyone want to know that? We're soulmates. Why can't anyone seem to get that through their heads."

She watched as her grandson twined a soothing hand with the other boy's, his cheek rubbing against the slightly older boy's bare shoulder. "You know there aren't many couples like Bardock and I. Weren't, I mean. Most of the time when two people coupled up, it didn't last long. I've gotten the impression that's different here on Earth, but it's still a serious matter. I understand this has been going on for a while?"

"Romantically? Since I was twelve," Goten supplied nervously, hoping that his grandmother's attitude about all this would be more like Vegeta's than his mother's. "We've only been having sex for about a year."

"What about before it was romantic?"

Trunks actually laughed briefly about that question. "Fifteen years. Since I was  _one_ and Mom and Chi-Chi started getting us together for playdates. Goten and I have always been close. Hell, we can become the same person without trying. Dad keeps saying we're unnaturally close but I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean it as a bad thing."

"Become the same person?" Gine mused. That was interesting, but not the main idea behind this. If they'd been this close for that long ... "So there are no secrets between you two?"

"It's really hard to keep secrets when you share a soul," Goten said softly, nestling in beside the Prince's boy like they were sharing a soul right this minute. Like everyone else on Vegetasai Gine had heard the rumors and fairytales of those few pairs who shared the deepest ties - bone-deep, heart deep, soul deep - developing psychic bonds. If these two young boys were developing that sort of connection at their tender age -!

"Should we show her, Ten?" Trunks asked, pulling Gine out of her thoughts. Goten nodded and Trunks kicked around on the floor as though to make sure they had enough space, for something and then they spread out and in perfect synchronicity ... "FU-SION HA!"

There was a flash, and then one boy stood where there were once two, hair lavender down the sides and black in the middle. He wore a strange vest-and-pants combo, and the teenage boy tossed his head dramatically with his hands on his hips.

" **Hell yeah, it's been a while!** " he said in his strange doubled-up voice. It was like Trunks and Goten were speaking at the same time, perfectly blended together. " **Well, here we are, are you impressed? Gotenks at your service, Grams.** " He winked at the older woman and struck a pose, obviously looking for a reaction.

"And you ... read each other's thoughts like this?"

" **There's no we, just _me_ , the most awesome warrior in the universe!**" He seemed to take a little pity on his incredulous audience. " **Look, lady, both Goten and Trunks are in here, but they're one person right now. Me. Gotenks. _Everything_ is shared. They were seven and eight when they learned this, and they've become me dozens of times since then. Sometimes they dance me up just for the closeness of being a single entity. Gotta admit that since they figured out they love each other I feel a bit narcissistic.** " He winked. " **Can't deny I love myself.** "

Gine chuckled, amused by the over the top combination of the two boys. "Well, if my nose isn't lying dinner's almost ready." Her concerns about how casually her son seemed to be about this were assuaged; the boys were obviously close enough to make this decision for themselves, even if it weren't actually inevitable. "We should get out there before all the good bits are gone."

* * *

While his wife was talking to their grandson and that boy he was probably with, Bardock hunted down his youngest son and managed to pin him down in the corner of the L-junction of two hallways. The boy stood there, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, while Bardock looked him up and down with his fists on his hips. The scar and the bandana Bardock wore were distinctive, as was the darker tone of his skin, but this was a little like looking into a funhouse mirror.

Finally, Bardock spoke. "Boy, why the  _fuck_ are you playing the submissive to someone weaker than you? And don't you dare tell me that it's because he's the Prince, you could still put him in his place and the two of you made that perfectly fucking clear."

"Eh heh heh." Goku held his hands up defensively. "It's got nothin' to do with that! We both like it this way. Besides, he knows he can't make me submit, that I'm  _willingly_ giving him control. He can't  _make_ me do anything. I just ... want to. And I'd hate being the one in charge." He held his hand out wide; he had nothing else.

Bardock's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Does he  _try_ to make you do things you don't want to?"

"Nah. Well, he was really picky about what I had to eat and drink while I was pregnant, and he wouldn't let me really train, and he was really intense about making sure I was healing right after the babies came. But Chi-Chi said he knew better than I did about all that so I guess even if I didn't  _like_ it, it was good for me. Or do you mean in bed? Because the only thing he does that I dun like is when he's all gentle with me 'cause of the baby, or practically stops entirely 'cause I'm healing. Uh, he did mention some people do really gross stuff in bed but we both agreed we're not gonna do that. An' I guess the tattoo -"

"You didn't want the tattoo?" Bardock had locked onto that one fragment of his son's verbal diarrhea.

"What? No, I love the tattoo! I just, eh heh, hate needles. He had to help me through it, make sure I didn't panic and bolt and end up with half a royal crest on my chest."  His solid hand moved to absently rub at the place the tattoo was half hidden by his clothes. "It was worth it. Everything is always worth it."

"What about with your wife?" As far as Bardock could tell, the once spoiled little Prince was taking good care of his son and had actually  _earned_ Kakarot's trust and submission. As much as Bardock disliked that, he wasn't going to fight his son about a relationship he was happy in. Which left his other relationship. "Twenty-seven years, eh?"

"Mhmm. That one's complicated. Y'see I agreed to marry her when I didn' know what marriage was, but I kept my word an' I didn't know much about sex or about likin' men an' so - well - it's all really complicated, but all we do in bed now is sleep. An' cuddle some. And sometimes she strokes my hair while I'm fallin' asleep which is really nice."

Uh-huh. Bardock was slower to respond this time. "Do you love the woman?" If something else was making him stay tied to a relationship he didn't want ...

"Course I do. She's really wonderful. I just don' like the - uh - packaging." He shrugged. "She's still as pretty as the day we met, it jus' doesn't ... do anything for me. Which is sad because she was always really good at being a wife, even if she didn' want me to train Gohan. She let up about tha' with Goten. But you should taste her cookin', it's to _die_ for." He sighed. "It's just -" His hands indicated a womanly form in the air.

There was a whole long story there and Bardock was going to have to hammer the exact details out of his son later, but he had the jist of it for now. "You ever think about letting her go so she can find somebody who wants her  _and_ her body? I can't imagine she's really happy."

"I'm tryin'. I spend time with her an' let her know she's still my wife, an' she's been goin' to bed with both Bulma and Vegeta. Honestly, I don' wanna lose her ... but if she tells me she wants t' go, I won't hold her back. If I can't make her happy an' someone else can ..."

The boy looked close to tears. Awkwardly, Bardock patted his back. He would probably feel similarly deep down inside his rugged heart if Gine leaving him was a real possibility, but those weren't exactly similar situations. After all, Bardock nailed Gine to the bed every chance he got. The idea that his son was trying to give a woman his heart without giving her his body was more than a little bizarre to the Saiyan.

"Look, kid. Obviously, mistakes have been made on that front, but all you can do is keep showing her you care. And if she does decide she'd rather be with someone else ... well, sometimes relationships end. With things lasting as long as they have, I'm sure you'll always be friends at least."

"Yeah," Goku sighed, running a hand through his messy locks. "I just wish I could make her completely happy, all by myself, but I've been messin' up the whole time we've been married. She deserves better."

Ugh. How did the kid make three words sound so sad?

* * *

Food was definitely the fastest way to gather Saiyans together, and it was amazing how quickly everyone appeared. As Goku situated Eschalot in her high chair, Bra and Vege had a brief tussle over who got which booster before being separated by their father and given a sharp growl that had them both behaving for the moment. The couples were all situated together - Vegeta and Goku cozily seated between their wives, Gotenks making a surprise appearance on one side, Bardock and Gine on the other - which left the other four to find seats wherever they could. A surly King Vegeta wound up between Tarble and Vege, carefully surrounding himself by royalty, while Mirai found himself wedged in closer than he'd intended to the mountain of Saiyan and hair that was Raditz.

"Okay! So there's Mirai by Raditz, by Tarble we've got _Gotenks_ and he's both Trunks and Goten. How much longer you got?"

" **Not long. That's why I claimed two chairs.** "

"All right. Bra is the one with the blue hair at the end. Mirai, Trunks, and Bra are Vegeta and Bulma's. The little one is Eschalot, and the grumpy one is Vegeta III - those are mine and Vegeta's. You'll meet Goten and Trunks soon, and my kids with Chi-Chi are Gohan and Goten. You said Gohan's coming tomorrow, right Chi?" She nodded, and with no objection to his taking over the introductions, he continued to introduce (or re-introduce) the newcomers, only stopping when he was content that everyone at the table knew who everyone else was. The only exception was the lingering fusion that had no issue with stuffing himself while he was waiting to unfuse; Goten and Trunks could deal with their separation and subsequent introductions.

The silence beyond the sound of dishes, cutlery, and eating was to be expected, but after a while, there was enough of a lull for one of the human women to speak up, Chi-Chi politely whiping her mouth on her napkin before speaking. "So, were you boys training?"

" **Nah. Just showing Grams there what I meant about being a single soul. She was poking in trying to see if I'm actually serious about myself. It gets so boring answering the same question over and over.** " He yawned and stretched for dramatic effect, then briefly made fake snoring noises.

"Of  _course_ we're all concerned," Bulma snapped, clearly done for the day. "You're still children!" Chi-Chi's agreement was obvious, although Goku and Vegeta looked vaguely annoyed. They'd clearly been through this discussion before without making any progress on either side. 

"Actually, adulthood is a fluid concept for us," Gine supplied since all the men seemed to be expecting the women to just  _understand_ despite the fact they were a different species. "It's entered somewhere between the end of puberty and reaching full adult growth - something of a fifteen- to twenty-year span. Since Goten and Trunks have completed puberty, entered into a serious and apparently stable relationship, and from what I understand fought mighty foes alongside their adult comrades ... well, in the Saiyan understanding of things, they  _are_ adults. On Vegetasai they'd have been allowed to leave their parents if they so wished, and even start a family of their own."

Gotenks made a face. " **I have no desire to have children yet. I'd rather take time to enjoy being together, and then have children when I look like an adult to humans, too.** " He smirked, tossing his head arrogantly. " **I do want kids. Just not for six or seven years.** "

"Do both halves of you agree on this?" Gine asked, still fascinated by the fusion.

" **On that, and so much more even on this one subject. Down to who would look cuter pregnant and the hope that I've - Goten, that is - inherited Goku's fertility so that I can have as many children as I want. Not everything I do is physical, after all. I talk for hours, dream about the future, actually work on solid plans ... and I'm going to be very embarrassed by this conversation in about five minutes when I'm two people again.** " He laughed. " **Ask me anything, _I_ don't have to face the consequences.** "

"Ooh, ooh, which one do you think will be cuter pregnant? Ouch, Chi, what was that for?" Goku rubbed his arm where his wife had delivered a solid smack.

" **Goten.** " Gotenks smirked. " **Trunks would be grumpy the whole time. I'm not restricting myself, though. When the time comes, whoever gets pregnant -** " He shrugged and spread his hands dramatically.

Chi-Chi's face went into her hands, and to the surprise of at least half the table Vegeta spoke up with the  _real_ question. "How much do they really care for each other?"

" **Dude. _So much_.** " Gotenks laced his fingers together behind his head, smiling broadly. " **I always cared, even when I was a kid, and it's always been expansive. Now ... it's like this emotion has been constantly pushing the limits and surpassing them. I'm _drowning_ , man. It's legendary, cosmic,  _epic_. You have no idea how this feels ... it's like being stuck in a feedback loop. I'm hit from both sides with just this pure shining emotion. Seriously, Dads, Moms, don't worry. This is spectacular, and it's only going to get stronger.** "

The window to question Gotenks closed as a white light enveloped him and left two highly embarrassed teenagers in its wake. "Goten, Trunks, glad you could join us!" Goku joked casually. Then he launched into introductions all again, like he couldn't get enough of celebrating the new arrivals. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So up until now, I've been trying really hard to nudge and fix things and keep canon pairings together ... except for Tarble/Gure because she looks like a child's self-portrait and it freaks me out to no end. But Gochi's on the rocks and I'm not sure whether or not I'll be saving it. It's incredibly imbalanced at the moment and Chi-Chi honestly be happier with someone else. So we'll see. I've got zero definitive plans on the new/replacement pairing front (except that King Vegeta's almost definitely forever alone, the snob). Come with me and we'll see _what the fuck happens next_.


	2. Day Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pillow talk, family dinner, and drunken Saiyans.

Chi-Chi was definitely Vegeta's third favorite bed partner, although he actually had the couth not to say that out loud. There was no ranking Kakarot and Bulma, as he'd somehow managed to come to love them equally. His relationship with the harpy was much more casual and she was far less imaginative in bed than either his wife or his Saiyan lover. At the moment he was laying in bed with her and half-listening to her yammer post-coitus because she got annoying if he tried to leave as soon as they were done, although mostly this consisted of lounging in post-orgasmic contentment and staring at the ceiling until she was done with what passed for pillow talk.

"- of course with everything around the castle on fire -"

That actually caught Vegeta's ear and the compact Saiyan prince rolled on his side to face her intently. "Wait, what castle?"

"My father's castle, on Mount Frypan? ... He's the Ox King?"

Vegeta had paid minimal attention to Kakarot's father-in-law on the rare occasions he'd been around the large man; all he knew was that he was a former student of the old pervert that had taught Kakarot to read from Bob & Margaret. Curiosity had lead Vegeta to seek out the book his lover had learned to read from, and even he had been appalled at the idea of giving it to a  _child_ , especially one as innocent as Kakarot had undoubtedly been.

"So I've been fucking a princess for nearly a year and no one bothered to tell me?" His tone was unreadable, but his hand gave a rare almost-affectionate caress to her cheek and jaw. It was strange to receive that sort of gesture from him - Goku was loving, Bulma was friendly, but Vegeta was always clear that the only thing between them was sex. It was  _amazing_  sex, but that's all it was. They were sort of friendly, or at least what counted as friendly when Vegeta was involved, but that was all.

"It's not really that important."

"Tch." Vegeta shook his head in amazed disbelief. "Your father has to be what, at least seventy or eighty? That's old for a human. You'll be a queen soon." He paused. "Also, this means  _all_  of Kakarot's children are royalty." Had she even done anything to prepare Gohan to one day take her father's throne? The brat was second in line for the throne of the Ox Kingdom, and while he doubted that was anywhere near as involved as ruling an entire species it was still  _ruling_. "Or will you abdicate in favor of your eldest?"

Chi-Chi was quiet for a long moment. "I've never really thought of Daddy dying. I think he was hoping to groom my husband to be the next king, but ..." She trailed off, spreading her hands with a shrug.

"So you weren't raised to rule, and Goku isn't fit to rule, and for some reason, no one bothered to educate Gohan to be ready to take the throne." What a clusterfuck. Vegeta itched to stretch his royal muscles and fix the situation, but he had to admit that there was a likelihood that ruling a small kingdom on Earth was vastly different from being a Saiyan royal. Humans were so much ... softer. "What happens if your father dies and there's no one to take his throne?"

She was quiet, mildly ashamed. "I have no idea, really." This was clearly an issue she'd never contemplated.

"Bah. I care more about my kingdom than you do about yours, and mine's so much rubble in the vacuum of space!"

The princess shrunk into the bed, and Vegeta stood up in disgust. "Figure it out, woman," he said sharply as he pulled his clothes back on in obvious annoyance. "This isn't a problem that's just going to go away because you don't want to deal with it. You're a princess. Act like it!"

* * *

It was clear that Chi-Chi's mood was off as she and Gine worked together to put dinner on the table, both used to the chore of putting dinner on the table for a Saiyan family. Gine chatted casually with her daughter-in-law, who was stiffer than normal in her responses until she finally gave up in light of Chi-Chi's preoccupation.

The doorbell rang and Mirai was the one to answer it, clapping a hand on Gohan's shoulder and turning to give the awkward bundle of Videl and Pan a hug. "Wow, Videl, you look amazing! They're coming along nicely, aren't they?"

Ears pricked. Noses lifted slightly. The King had no patience for any of this bullshit and honestly just wanted his planet back. "Who's pregnant?" he demanded gruffly.

"Pregnant?" Goku said, squealing just a little. "Gohan, Videl, are you having another baby?!"

"Glad it worked out so well for you," Mirai whispered as he stepped out of the way to reveal Videl, holding her three-year-old on one hip while obviously showing her pregnancy.

"We're just three months along," Videl supplied, letting Pan down to go play. "We didn't want to make any sort of announcement until we were at least that far."

It was enough to distract Chi-Chi from her funk. "Oh, but you've been hiding that we're having another grandbaby!"

"Grandbabies." Gohan's voice was tired, and he had his tail looped self-consciously around his waist. "We're having twins."

"Twins!" It was Gine's turn to chime in, abandoning the stove in favor of coming to meet her grandson and his family. She paused part of the way so Pan could look up at her, then picked up the girl on demand. "So this is my great-granddaughter, Pan, I take it? Which makes you two Gohan and Videl. Twins are rare for our people, you must be extra cautious to be sure the body has what it needs for the little bodies growing inside."

"Yes, that's Pan, and - who are you? Mom, who are all these ... well, I recognize  _that_ one." He spared a moment to glare at Raditz, who waved with a cheeky grin.

"Well, this is Gine, your father's mother ... your grandfather is over there looking surly, you can see where your father and brother get their looks ... you know Raditz and Tarble ... and then Vegeta's father doesn't seem to be settling in very well." She ignored the King's loud hrumph. " _Those men_ got carried away with the dragon balls, and heaven knows I know how you probably feel about having Raditz around Pan, but he's behaved himself so far."

Gohan cast another suspicious look at his uncle, then turned to the surprisingly young woman holding his daughter. "It's nice to meet you, uh, Grandma. This is my wife, Videl Satan, and you've met our daughter Pan. I, uh, hope you're settling in well."

Gine smiled brightly at her grandson. "There's so many of you to get to know ... and soon there will be two more! Tell me, can you do that odd blue transformation your father can?"

He laughed awkwardly. "Ah, no. I leave that sort of thing to Dad and Vegeta."

"Oh, come on!" Goku said, clapping his eldest son on the shoulder. "You  _know_ you could surpass us in an instant if you really applied yourself! Not that I'm not proud of you - and I'm really glad you two are happy!"

"Surpass -"

Gohan cut off his grandmother. "I've got, uh, a lot of  _potential_. The catch is that I can only really access it through rage. A lot of rage. Like blinding, overwhelming, really hard regain control from it rage. Dad keeps saying all I need to do is train, but I'd rather leave the sadistic little shit I turn into in my past."

"Hm." Gine looked critically over the demi-Saiyan, then at Goku, and finally at Goten and the strawberry pocky he had sticking out of his face. "So my son is extremely fertile and enormously powerful, his second son has the sort of connection to another that spawns legends, and his first ... I've heard stories of warriors who were given power by rage, more than the rest of us. There were rituals involved ... but I doubt any of us know them." She glanced suspiciously at the King. "There might be some way for you to gain the information, though. Those wishing balls, perhaps?"

"Ah, they've got a cooldown period before you can use them again, but I'll keep that in mind," Gohan said awkwardly.

"Ah. Well, I'll look forward to seeing how all of you turn out." She gave Videl's stomach a smile but didn't do what a human might have and pat or stroke it. Maybe pregnant Saiyans were generally more prone to biting your face off than even the grumpiest of pregnant humans, for all that Goku had generally been a ray of sunshine during his pregnancies.

Making it through the sea of people, Gohan was looking forward to eating and getting out of here ... when he found himself cornered quite tidily by his uncle. Alone. Videl, Gine, and Pan had been let right by the big Saiyan.

Arms crossed and leaning casually into the wall, Raditz looked Gohan up and down. "Well. You've certainly gotten big, haven't you pipsqueak?" There was no malice in his voice, although there was a definite hint of a stalking cat in his body language.

"Bigger. Stronger. Dad might complain about me not training enough, but I pull in a tidy third place behind  _those_ two." His hand went up to rest casually on Raditz's shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to get his point across. "Seeing as I only get stronger when I'm angry - and believe me, it's a  _lot_ stronger - I'd leave Pan and Videl alone if I were you."

Raditz held up his hands in surrender, rolling his shoulder to try to shake off the hand applying steadily increasing pleasure. "Hey, I'm a  _reformed_ kidnapper. Didn't work out so well for me the first time. Still have the scar."

"And I'd better not find out any differently,  _Mr. Radish_."

Gohan walked away from Raditz and towards the table, leaving his uncle behind him massaging his shoulder grumpily. "And here I was told the  _other_ guy who kidnapped him is his best bud," he groused, turning to head towards the table.

They couldn't fit all around the one table this time - the three extra people pushed it to the point where they couldn't just rearrange the kids and push in some extra chairs. In the end they wound up arranging the four little ones up along the counter; someone had thought it was cute to line them up oldest to youngest so when you looked up at the backs of their heads you saw Pan's boyishly short black, the shock of Bra's blue pigtails, the little black flame of Vege's hair, and finally Eschalot's still-tiny starburst. There had been some scrambling to get the parents on that side of the table, with Chi-Chi around the corner from Goku and Gohan giving up the seat beside Bulma to Videl. Everyone else settled in, Mirai wondering how he'd managed to be squished in next to Raditz again and trying to ignore the fact that the other Saiyan had unusually nice-smelling hair. It was definitely nicer than Mai's, loathe as he was to compare.

Trying to strike up some minimally awkward conversation, Mirai delved into what he thought was a relatively safe topic of conversation. "So, you all died pretty young, right? Except you, Tarble, you must still be close to Vegeta's age -"

"Forty-five," Tarble injected around a mouthful of food.

"Right, but the rest of you have to be, what, in your thirties?"

"I'm thirty-one," Raditz offered gruffly, clearly not seeing the point in this.

"What a coincidence, so am I," Mirai answered, wondering if he was going to get any sort of input from the 'adults'.

Nope, not from King Grandpa; he was scowling at his food like it had personally offended him.

Gine was engrossed with talking to Bardock, but once she noticed she was willing to talk. "Let's see, I was twenty-nine, and Bardock here was thirty-seven." She winked. "I went and bagged my commanding officer."

"So you were in the military, too?" She didn't seem the type.

"Only for a while, dear. I never was properly bloodthirsty, and Bardock kept having to save me. It went on until one day he got tired of always having to keep an eye out for me and made me stay behind." Her eyes twinkled. "It was barely nine months later we had Raditz."

"You make it sound ridiculously romantic," Bardock gruffed. Wait, had he just pinched Gine's ass under the table? "It's bad enough you made me soft enough to stick around with you and the boys when I wasn't out on missions."

Yeah, he was pretty sure Bardock and Gine were being super affectionate by Saiyan standards, based on the way that Vegeta was pretending not to see them and the King was looking like someone was committing a cardinal sin. Honestly, Mirai wouldn't mind finding something where his lover pinched  _his_ ass under the table, but he wasn't entirely sure that he wasn't too fucked up to find love. Maybe he should start with friendship.

* * *

As odd as it was, Mirai already seemed to fit in with his uncle and Raditz. The tiny Saiyan and the tall one with his  _glorious_ mane of hair both felt a little awkward in the house, too, and were more approachable than his grandfather or Goku's parents. Which was how they all wound up sitting out under the city lights and stars after the awkward dinner with Gohan and his family, enjoying the grass beneath them as they shared several bottles of strong alcohol.

His vision vaguely hazy in a way that made everything seem magical, Mirai let his eyes rest on Goku's brother. Tarble was busy pulling the cork out of another bottle, but Raditz had his head back as he drank, a line of amber fluid running down his chin and neck as his adam's apple bobbed as he drank. He lowered the bottle and wiped his chin, his eyes meeting Mirai's. The big Saiyan smirked; he was nowhere near as innocent as Vegeta's oldest and was quickly getting ideas from the way the pretty future boy was watching him.

Tarble gave up and laid down in the grass, spooning the bottle he'd been unable to open; his eyes fluttered closed. Mirai crawled closer to Raditz, but instead of making the sort of move the big Saiyan had been expecting, the Prince reached out and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Has anyone ever braided this?" he asked in drunken awe.

Raditz stared, unsure how to respond to this unexpected question, then landed on the truth. "No."

"Dende, but it's so gorgeous! You've got such amazing hair. I want to smell it and feel it and braid it - ugh. Even when mine was long it was nowhere near this - just - great. You've got really great hair."

"... Thank you?" The Prince kept finger-combing Raditz's hair, humming happily with his face inches from the other man's as he drew his hand through the third class warrior's long mane. At first, he was kneeling casually in front of the larger man, and then he crawled shamelessly into Raditz's lap to get better access to his hair. It felt strangely good and Raditz let his eyes close as the smaller man settled in to fully enjoy his hair.  _Whatever. It's nice and arguing with Vegeta's drunken son is probably as dumb as arguing with Vegeta when he's drunk_.

The smaller man stretched out in Raditz's lap for a moment, his head lolling back on the other Saiyan's shoulder as he tried to get better access to the other man's dark locks. It was decidedly awkward for Raditz who was sitting very still and pretending that he had no reaction at all to this, despite the fact that his body had some clear ideas about how this should end. It didn't so much work that way when the other party was a prince, presumably stronger than Raditz, and hadn't expressed the slightest interest in anything but his hair. Even though Raditz was uncomfortable sure that if things  _did_ go that way, there'd be a lot of hair-pulling involved.

It was almost a relief when Mirai clambered off his lap to slink around behind him, his lean body sliding along the side of Raditz's heavy form as he moved, Mirai pressed himself face-first into the other man's mane and inhaled deeply. "Dende you really do smell good."

Uh-huh. Vegeta had a weird kid, definitely. Raditz was only ever going to admit he liked this to  _one_ person, and only then if he was sure it was staying between them. Weird as he was (and you couldn't tell him it was just the alcohol; booze didn't make you weird it just brought it out) the prince was definitely attractive and Raditz would definitely be available for any casual liaisons this might lead to.

Mirai was mostly ignoring Raditz in favor of his hair; his entire body was pressed against the mane for a moment as he just enjoyed the feel of it. Then he pulled back, fingers deftly dividing the massive amount of hair into three equal sections. Each section was twisted to keep it together and smoothed with loving hands, and then Mirai started at the crown of the bigger man's head to carefully work his hair in a tight, neat braid. The pair of them lapsed into a near trance as Mirai worked his way down the impressive length of the other man's hair. Then he reached the end and tore a piece off the tail of his t-shirt in order to tie the braid off with a purple bow.

"You have  _such nice hair_ ," Mirai sighed, looking at his masterpiece and petting the braid gently.

"Whatever you say," Raditz grunted. Weird kid. Cute though. Who would have thought Vegeta could produce offspring that was anything other than short and angry?


	3. Day Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of drinking, owning up to responsibilities, new friends, awkwardness galore.

A boot met his ribs, rough but not hard enough to even bruise. "Degenerates, all of you." The voice was harsh, but it took Mirai a moment to place it. When he did, he blinked and looked up at his father.

Tarble was sitting up in confusion and setting the unopened bottle aside, Raditz peering out of one half-opened eye, and Mirai was ... clinging to and spooning with Raditz's braided hair. They were both still clothed so Mirai was almost positive they hadn't had sex but being caught being unreasonably affectionate towards another man's hair might be worse. "Um. We all got really drunk last night," he supplied unnecessarily as he attempted to scramble away from Raditz's braid.

"I can smell that. What I don't understand is  _this_ ," Vegeta said, motioning at Mirai and the massive braid on Raditz's head.

"When a drunk prince wants to braid your hair, you fucking let him," Raditz said gruffly, refusing to admit it had been weirdly pleasurable to have Mirai practically  _worshiping_ his hair. If the lavender-haired prince wanted to do something like that again in private, he'd receive no resistance from Raditz.

Vegeta's eyes went to his oldest son. Mirai shrugged dramatically. "I was drunk and I really wanted to braid his hair. I don't really remember how I wound up cuddling it all night."

The compact Saiyan looked down at his son suspiciously, then flicked his gaze back to his old comrade. There was no hint of sex in the air, so whatever had happened had been completely focused on that ridiculous mane of Raditz's, but it still seemed highly suspicious. "You do know that ingrate is two years older than I am."

"Not  _really,_  I mean he's been dead for ages." Wait, that wasn't the point. Mirai blushed. "We were just hanging out, you know? Raditz and I are technically the same age and Tarble doesn't exactly fit in with you guys. We just got a bit drunker than we meant to."

"And you decided to braid Raditz's hair."

"So? Fuck, Dad, you act like you've never done anything weird while you were drunk."

Raditz cackled. "I've got  _all_ the stories and you know it, Vegeta. Come on, it was harmless, nothing happened. Besides, even if something  _had_ happened other than your kid playing with my hair, it's not like you'd have much room to talk."

"Kakarot is a powerful warrior. You're still a third class nothing that I can crush under my boot."

"He's still my brother," Raditz said smugly. "My older baby brother and one of the Prince of All Saiyans' mates. Can't deny the blood bond."

Vegeta glared. "Tch. You're lucky Kakarot's the forgiving type. I would have left you dead."

The Prince stalked off then, Tarble hurrying after his brother, and Mirai ran his hands back through his hair as he tried to make it across the last stretch into full wakefulness. "I can't tell if he's being snobby, protective, or just an ass." He hadn't even laid eyes on his father until he was seventeen, so how could he tell? "You'd probably know better than me."

"How would I -"

"Because you've spent more time around him. I'm a time traveler, remember? Dad died when I was a baby in my timeline and I settled on living here permanently less than a year ago, and before that, it was a few days here, a few days there, plus a year I spent training with him. Except that was before he figured out he had feelings so there were a lot of really long awkward silences. I mean like he didn't talk to me for a month solid at one point. Even with the situation being what it was, you two worked together for more than two decades. You officially know my father better than I do."

And there was one of those awkward silences. Mirai was about to get up and go in the house when Raditz spoke. "It's probably all three. Just because baby bro's good enough for him doesn't mean I'm good enough for his son, y'know? Although that's a bit presumptive, seeing as all you showed interest in last night was my hair." The big man winked.

"Yeah, well, you do have a killer mane," Mirai teased, leaning back with his hands buried in the grass. "Speaking of, do you want help getting it unbraided? Since I did that it's only fair I offer to undo it."

"You just want to get your hands on my hair again."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't enjoy it. We're just gonna have to deal with the fact that I'm weirdly attracted to your hair, 'cause that's one genie that's not going back in the bottle."

"While I haven't had anybody want to molest my hair before if that's your definition of things getting weird you're ridiculously sheltered."

"I was too busy trying to save the world to have much of a social life, especially since the people around me kept dying."

"Kid, I could show you all sorts of things you've been missing out on."

Mirai blushed at the come on. "I think I'll pass for now, although I'll be sure to let you know if I have another irresistible urge to play with your hair."

Raditz chuckled and stood up, brushing off stray bits of grass. "See you around, Princey. If you change your mind I think we live on the same hallway."

* * *

Chi-Chi returned from a visit with her father, feeling overwhelmed. She was still ashamed that Vegeta of all people had needed to push her to ask about what was going to happen when her father died. She was the next queen, and Gohan was supposed to follow her.  _Pan_  was third in line for the throne! She was a bit at a loss for what to do with this information, and she had no idea how it had never come up before. Certainly, there was not much to their kingdom - most of the people who used to live there had left in the years when Mount Frypan burned - but it was her responsibility. Her  _family's_  responsibility. When she died all this would go to Gohan, and she had to figure out not only what she was supposed to do but how to break the news that instead of being a scholar fate had chosen him to be a King.

She giggled, hysterical but brief. Her son, the future Ox King. While neither of her boys had inherited her father's massive size, they were both strong ... and even at three Pan was a formidable force, training alongside Bra and Vege as well as on her own. They tidily had the next three generations of Kings and Queens in line, and once the twins were born Goten would be bumped to  _sixth_ in line. That was a solid number in the line of succession, especially for such a small kingdom as the Ox Kingdom.

It didn't really make Chi-Chi feel any better. Her father had sent her home with a stack of books and documents to look over, to try to get her caught up with the long-neglected education she needed since her father's initial plan had been thwarted by ... well, Goku being Goku. He should have started this as soon as he realized Goku was never going to be King, but the Ox King had let Chi-Chi settle into her little happy life as a housewife and mother and himself had only appeared to dote on his darling daughter and grandchildren.

The important part was that Chi-Chi had a lot of catching up to do, and she had to break the news to Gohan and get  _him_ started when there wasn't the press of time on him. She'd still live for quite some time; now that she'd been reminded of the fragility of humans, she'd looked closer and seen age creeping in on her father.

Someone knocked on the study door, and Tarble peeked his head in. Even slightly shorter than Chi-Chi and almost as prone to pleasant expressions as Goku, Vegeta's brother was an utterly unthreatening figure even being a Saiyan.

"Come in," she said, trying to sound pleasant and welcoming. From his wince, it didn't work.

"Vegeta's been ranting. Well, it involved an extremely heavy duty punching bag and a lot of muttering under his breath. He's not good about talking to people, and he does try to respect other people's secrets." The slight Saiyan shut the door behind him and effortlessly moved a chair over beside Chi-Chi's at the desk. "From what I was able to pick up between growls and snarls, you have a kingdom you're inheriting soon and no one bothered to prepare you."

That hysterical giggle returned, quickly bitten off. "That's about it," she said as Tarble sat beside her. "Father gave me some things to start on, but ... well, he got neglectful of dealing with things like the succession. And he's getting old."

"He can't be that old." There was nothing in Tarble's smile but friendliness. "You're younger than I am."

"Humans don't live as long as Saiyans. We don't even stay young as long. Bulma and I have been lucky, honestly, but it'll catch up to us eventually. Saiyans live to be - what, north of a hundred, regularly?"

"Easily one twenty or one thirty, in those cases that we die of old age."

"That's a good fifty or sixty  _years_ longer than humans. I mean sometimes we reach a little past one hundred, but usually, it's seventy or eighty. My father's just over seventy."

Tarble gave a low whistle. "So there really isn't  _time_. You've got to figure this all out as quickly as possible, then get on top of training  _your_ heir. Gohan's the one, right? He seems solid and he already has a family, so that's a benefit when it comes to ensuring succession." He smiled. "Plus your granddaughter's adorable, even if you look a little young to be a grandmother."

She blushed a little at the compliment; Goku's were always vague and abstract. This one felt so much more ...  _normal_. "I've just got to get through all this and figure out what to do next," she said, looking at the books and papers instead of Tarble. The shorter Saiyan Prince didn't need to be embarrassed because him being kind made her blush.

"I could help you with that," Tarble offered. "Father might have expected me to die on some far away planet, but there was a backup program in my educational files to teach me all about the intricacies of rule, just in case I ever became anything other than an abject embarrassment."

Chi-Chi smiled at the slightly older man, relieved to have some direction. "I'd like that."

* * *

Mirai was heading down the residential hall towards work when Raditz's door opened and the big Saiyain stepped out right in front of him. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and nothing else, his tail held casually behind him. For a moment they both just stood still, surprised to be face to face without warning. 

This was the first time Mirai had seen Raditz without a shirt. His eyes lingered. The muscular physique was to be expected, but the large scar from a ki attack that took up most of his chest and upper abs was ...  _Let's just be honest here, it's kind of hot._  This was not helping Mirai figure out if he was attracted to Raditz in a non-physical way. Not that he was honestly sure how much it mattered. What was the worst that would happen if he hooked up with Goku's brother a few times and decided he wasn't into him anymore?

Ah, right. He'd feel like shit for leading Raditz on, whether or not that was anywhere close to the reality of the situation.  _And it clearly wouldn't be. Raditz has hinted that he's had lots of casual sex, and I think he's hinting that he's available if I want to fool around. But I'd still feel like shit because I was raised to take relationships seriously_.

Which put him back at step one: how the hell did he figure out if he was interested in more than Raditz's body? He felt comfortable with the larger man, but he honestly lacked the social skills to truly suss out whether or not there was any romantic attraction between them.

Raditz seemed to have decided that he'd let Mirai have his fill of looking; he smirked and turned to continue on his way, his tail moving behind him in a way that made Mirai lick his lips and want to follow ... but he didn't. Instead, he continued on his own way, headed down to try and get some work done in his lab. He was glad for it because it would give him something to focus on instead of obsessing over trying to figure out his feelings.

* * *

Goku and Vegeta were sparring on the back lawn, and honestly, it was hard to really say if they were fighting or dancing. Their styles, while distinctly different, blended well as they faced each other, Vegeta in his training suit sans armor, and Goku freed from his weighted undershirt and gi top. It was clear this was done with a purpose and not just for the sheer enjoyment of it ... although they were  _definitely_  enjoying it as they worked in their base forms, hands-on without ki attacks, hands all over each other out in front of everyone ...

Their power and virility were on display, just as it had been in the woods when they'd powered up to Blue for their newly arrived kinsmen. This was much rawer, much more primal show of power as they traded punches and kicks, grapples and locks, until there was a moment's breath as Goku slammed Vegeta to the ground and pinned him with a feral grin.

"Do I win again, Vegeta?"

"Hardly," the Prince sneered, twisting and bucking his lover off of him.

Goku bounced back on his toes, ready to re-engage as the smaller man popped up to his feet and charged him. The air between the two was charged with complete exhilaration as they fought. Bodies blurred, and Goku had Vegeta against a tree by the neck. "Pinned you again."

The King stood off in the shadows, watching in distinct displeasure.

Vegeta punched him in the gut and took advantage of Goku briefly doubling up to restart the fight. The ending was inevitable; Vegeta would gain the advantage here and there, but in the end, Goku would be the victor.  _And then they'll go off to fuck_ , Mirai mused, wishing he didn't know that fact. Of course, he was pretty sure that the rest of those present with Saiyan blood - and maybe some of the others - were just as aware that this display of strength was doubling as foreplay.

He shifted a little as he stood next to Gohan and Piccolo - both of who seemed to be oblivious to the thread of sexual tension - and briefly glanced over to where Raditz was waiting for an opportunity to spar with  _someone_. Definitely a handsome specimen, but they hardly knew each other. He had no idea what to do with that.

The fury of movement finished in the two Saiyans rolling across the grass before they collapsed side by side, panting up into the sky as they looked slowly towards each other. A draw. As they extracted themselves from the grass, Mirai turned his head towards Gohan and Piccolo. "Mind if I join you two again."

"Sure, come on," Gohan said, the three of them heading out to take their place on the grass. Maybe this would clear his head.

* * *

"Mom, how do you tell if you like someone or if it's just ... ah, lust?"

"There's nothing wrong with just lust," she said without stopping what she was doing. Then when Mirai remained quiet she put down her wrench and looked up at him. "What's the problem, sweetie?"

"Ah, well, to start with I was raised to take relationships seriously - all relationships, from friendships to rivalries to  _especially_ romances. And the closest I really had to anything romantic was Mai and that was - well, a disaster."

"Honey, while I guess that might have been good advice where you come from, here relationships don't  _have_ to be serious. But if that's what you want - a real relationship and not just a hookup - then you've got to have a foundation. But don't think that you need to do things in a specific order. Sometimes sex comes first, sometimes you think you're in love and you're not ... it's all very messy and complicated and you have to kinda jump in and hope you find your way to where you want. Just relax and enjoy it and don't worry too much about where it's headed."

Ugh, that was ... less than helpful. "And I guess if I asked Dad for advice he'd tell me to follow my instincts."

"Depends on the day, his mood, whether or not he thought he knew you were after and whether or not he approved ... Vegeta's complicated. Took a while for me to crack  _that_ nut."

"Things I don't want to know about, Mom."

"Honey, this is the long and the short of it. Think before you act. Take action when you're sure you want something. Try to avoid regret, but remember you can also regret  _not_ doing something. And all in all,  _do what makes you happy_. That's all that really matters."

Huh, maybe that actually had some wisdom to it. "Thanks, Mom." He hugged her briefly, then headed back to his own lab. He didn't have to rush into things, after all. He could work this out in time.


End file.
